1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of flexible cable interconnecting contacts and more particularly to a novel interconnecting contact arrangement for joining, under pressure, respective contacts carried on flex cable conductors with contacts on circuit elements carried on a printed circuit, LCD, or other planar surface.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
As the usefulness of electronic equipment, such as computers, has expanded from strictly computational and accounting types of problems to problems of simulating control and other problems, and with the widening demand, both militarily and commercially, for electronic equipment capable of handling vast quantities of information at increased rates of speed, the need for high density electronic packaging has become of increasing importance. Also, maintenance of electrical contact is also of great importance, which maintains both system reliability and serviceability. It is of an economic and reliability necessity to provide circuit interconnecting means for electronic equipment which both minimizes the possibility of error in field maintenance procedures, in unwanted contact separation, and which reduces over-all system complexity.
Attempts have been made to improve interconnecting contact construction; however, most contacts require soldering which greatly increases assembly costs and is labor intensive. Such conventional interconnecting contacts or connectors are subject to disconnection or separation due to multiple temperature changes, changes due to shock and vibration which produce loss of contact between the interconnecting elements. Problems have also been encountered because of high contact resistance and low conductivity. Furthermore, most conventional contact arrangements require complete disassembly of mated contact elements to provide for complete replacement.
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide an improved means for interconnecting electronic circuits and particularly in use of flexible cable which may be readily employed for interconnecting electronic circuitry on a printed circuit board with the terminating ends of electrically conductive strips embedded in the flexible cable.
Accordingly, the above problems and difficulties are avoided by the present invention which provides an improved means for interconnecting electronic circuits wherein one component includes a flexible cable having a plurality of conductive strips which terminate in contact pads having outwardly projecting pressure point contact mounds which protrude through a covering layer of electrically insulated material. The other component of the interconnecting circuit includes a plurality of conductive contact elements placed on the exposed surface of a printed circuit board, LCD or other planar surface. A pressure plate is arcuate shaped and is employed for applying equally distributed pressure to the backside of the flexible cable in order to force the contact mounds into pressure point contact with the contact elements on the planar surface. Alternately, each contact element may include a receptacle for insertably receiving a contact mound. To provide equal application of pressure, a compression stabilizer plate is placed between the arcuate pressure plate and the backside of the cable. Pressure application means are employed for applying equal pressure via the compression stabilizer and pressure plate to the backside of the flexible cable so that pressure is evenly distributed as pressure is applied thereto.
Therefore, it is among the primary objects of the present invention to provide an improved means for interconnecting electronic circuits employing contact between contact mounds carried on a flexible cable and contact elements carried on a planar surface, with or without receptacles, employing a controlled pressure means for forcibly engaging the contact mounds and elements together.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel pressure point contact arrangement for a flexible cable having surface mount connections with contact pads which drastically reduces assembly costs and is labor effective.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pressure point contact arrangement which eliminates soldering and is secured to operate as an integral part of an assembly able to withstand multiple temperature changes, shock and vibration movements, all without inadvertent loss of contact or disconnection.
Yet another object resides in providing a pressure point contact arrangement having a shaped mound carried on a conductive strip mateable with a conformally shaped receptacle carried on a conductive pad utilizing compressive means to make an initial connection resisting inadvertent separation and disconnection.
Still a further object of the invention resides in providing a pressure point contact for flexible cable and surface mounted connections which provides for easy assembly and disassembly without destruction of the contacts.
Yet a further object resides in providing an improved means for interconnecting flexible cable conductive strips with contacts on a planar surface employing controlled pressure application so as to eliminate solder and which may be interconnected to any printed circuit, LCD display or flat circuit interface.